A system and method for the use of smartphones or tablets to detect the motion of a user's foot and send that information to be translated into virtual motion over a wireless network is described. As hand tracking technology improves, as virtual reality devices are released commercially, and as more applications are developed that incorporate the use of hand tracking, there is an increased need for hands free control schemes and systems and methods for implementing such schemes.
Modern virtual reality headsets allow for new levels of user immersion into computer software, such as virtual worlds and video games. Further, new controllers, such as the Leap Motion, allow for the detection of human hands, and allow software to translate the motion of human hands into various actions. That type of advancement in control systems within virtual reality can, for example, create representations of virtual hands, as part of a user avatar that can mimic the motion of and use of a user's own hands inside a virtual environment. Because this use is viewed from within a motion-sensitive headset, the combination can assist in providing the illusion of physical presence in a virtual world.
However, such an illusion can be shattered once a user begins to move within the virtual environment, since modern schemes for controlling user movement typically require the use of the user's hands. Conventional control schemes, such as hand held controllers, mouse and keyboard key combinations, or joysticks, all require use of the users hands. Accordingly, without a hands-free control scheme, the user would be unable to navigate a virtual world while enjoying virtual control of their hands through hand tracking.
Alternative control schemes are known, such as those utilizing a user's feet, or full body virtual reality systems. These control schemes typically require expensive hardware, often costing as much or more than the modern game consoles they can be used with, to detect a user's motion and convert it to traditional control signals. Such solutions typically require hardware with specialized sensors and buttons to initiate some motions. For example, a button on the bottom surface of a foot controlled device may be required to detect if a user has pushed downward to initiate a jump or crouch. Further, such hardware may require on board processing software implemented such that the output of the system takes the form of a traditional control scheme, which can be resource intensive.
There is a need for systems and methods for implementing a control scheme that allows a user to utilize body parts other than their hands to control their movement within a virtual environment. Such systems and methods should not require expensive hardware solutions, and would ideally be implemented on devices user's already own and use.